At his first press conference since last July, Trump dealt with a variety of questions about his plans. Many of the questions were about the dossier that was leaked to the media, alleging that the Russian government has compromising information about Trump’s personal and financial affairs. The allegations have not been verified. The document was posted in full by Buzzfeed and reported by CNN and many other media outlets. Trump angrily denounced the dossier as “fake news,” which it may or may not be.
When Jim Acosta of CNN tried to ask a question, Trump refused to acknowledge him, and shouted out “You are fake news.” When Acosta tried again to ask a question, Trump’s communications director Sean Spicer warned him that he would throw him out if he didn’t stop asking questions.
Everyone in the White House press corps is accredited. CNN is a reputable mainstream network, not Breitbart or Gawker. The president doesn’t get to decide who is allowed to ask questions.
The next time Trump pulls this stunt, the entire press corps should get up and walk out. Together. En masse. A man like Trump can’t survive without the media. The media should not let him control them. If we the public are to be informed, every member of the press corps should have the same right to ask questions and expect to get an answer.
We must all protect our Constitutional freedoms and not allow them to be eroded, bit by bit.
